The changes
IN: Cam McCarthy, Joshua Deluca
OUT: Luke Ryan (Omitted), Brennan Cox (Omitted)
What to expect
Fremantle are a tough side to get a grasp of, with their season having been one of two halves.
From Round 3 through to Round 9, they won six out of seven matches to own a six win- three loss record into late May.
But a Round 10 100-point drubbing at the hands of the Adelaide Crows kick-started what has been a grim period for the Dockers, having won just one of their last seven games.
Ross Lyon’s side’s primary issue over this period has been their ability to generate scoring opportunities.
The Dockers rank 16th for inside 50s and 17th for marks inside 50 and therefore, unsurprisingly, they have recorded the second least points of any side in the competition this season, ahead of only Carlton.
What makes matters worse for the 12th placed Dockers is that they’ve also conceded the fifth-most points in the league, not helped by the fact that they are the worst tackling team in the competition, averaging just 63.7 a game.
This game marks an important one for a Fremantle side that, despite enduring as poor a last two months as any side, remains only two wins outside of the top eight.
If the Dockers are to be any chance of realising a finals berth, this Round 18 match-up is a must-win against a Hawthorn side that has challenged some of the best sides in the competition in recent weeks.
Players to watch
Michael Walters has turned what started as an average season into undoubtedly the best year of his career.
Through Rounds 1 to 6, Walters was struggling, with the small forward averaging just 13 disposals, one tackle, 0.8 goals and 4.2 contested possessions.
But coach Ross Lyon had an idea that would facilitate a turnaround in form for the 26-year old, moving Walters into the midfield.
The role adjustment has been an absolute success story, with Walters averaging 24 touches, 3.7 tackles, 1.7 goals and 11 contested possessions over the last ten games.
Always one to watch when coming up against Fremantle, the Hawks will now have to adjust their plans on how to stop the new-look Walters.
Nat Fyfe, on the other hand, is a known superstar of the competition.
But the 2015 Brownlow Medallist has endured a challenging year in his first as captain of the club.
Almost all of Fyfe’s key performance indicators are down on his stellar 2015 season but the 25-year old has given reason for Dockers fans to relax over the last fortnight.
After averaging albeit respectable numbers of 25.1 possessions and 13.7 contested possessions before the last fortnight, Fyfe has boosted those numbers to 31.5 and 18.5 over the past two weeks.
Fyfe is seemingly back to his dominant best which suggests that the Hawks will have their hands full in containing the big-bodied midfielder this Saturday night.
